The University of California, Santa Barbara has offered a place in its fall 2009 entering class to a total of 21,557 high school seniors. The prospective UCSB freshmen were selected from a total of 44,692 applicants – the second largest applicant pool in UCSB history. The campus expects its fall 2009 entering class to number about 4,100.
Both the academic qualifications and the diversity of the applicant class accepted by UCSB continue to be at very high levels. The average high school grade point average of applicants admitted is above 4.0, and more than half of all admitted applicants are members of a racial or ethnic minority group.
Applications from 10,085 students seeking to transfer to UC Santa Barbara are still under review, with decisions to be announced by the end of April.
While admission to UC Santa Barbara is always very competitive, it was made even more so this year by a reduction in planned enrollment for fall at UCSB and other campuses in the UC system. In light of state budget reductions, the UC Board of Regents elected to curtail freshman enrollment and increase the number of transfer students. As a result, the target number of 4,100 freshmen that UCSB expects to enroll in the fall will be 300 fewer than last year, while the 1,700 new transfer students it enrolls will be 100 more than last year.
Transfer applications to UCSB this year were up 1,239 over last year, an increase of 14 percent. "We have worked to increase our engagement with California's community colleges and their students, and the increase in applications shows that those efforts are succeeding," said UCSB Admissions Director Christine Van Gieson.
All of the UC undergraduate campuses are releasing admissions statistics today. The UC Office of the President is posting systemwide statistics on its Web site at http://www.ucop.edu/news/factsheets/fall2009adm.html.
UCSB freshman acceptance letters were mailed in mid-March, and applicants were also able to check their admission status via a protected Web site. Applicants who have been accepted by any UC campus have until May 1 to submit a Statement of Intent to Register.
Led by Chancellor Henry T. Yang, UCSB officials and faculty and staff members have been working diligently to ensure that the class enrolled this fall is the campus's most talented and diverse ever. In March, Chancellor Yang served as the host of successful and well-attended UCSB receptions in the Bay Area and Los Angeles for high-achieving applicants. At these events, volunteers from the campus –– faculty and staff members, as well as alumni and students –– met with applicants and their family members to answer questions about UCSB academic programs, student life, financial aid, and other topics. Now members of the campus community are involved in a variety of activities aimed at making personal contact with those admitted to answer their questions and discuss UCSB and the opportunities it offers.
The average total score achieved by applicants admitted by UCSB on the required SATR Test was 1877 out of a possible 2400, up from 1872 last year. The average high school grade point average of applicants accepted by UCSB was 4.01, compared with 4.03 last year.
Of all applicants admitted, 51.8 percent identified themselves as members of a racial or ethnic minority group – up from 49.9 percent last year. Individual applicants to UC are not identified to the campuses by race or ethnicity until after admission decisions are made.
Of those admitted, 91.1 percent, or 19,630, are enrolled in California high schools. Among those California students, members of underrepresented minority groups (African-American, American Indian, and Chicano and Latino students) totaled 5,122, which was 124 fewer than last year; however, these applicants comprised 26.1 percent of all admitted students, up from 24.6 percent the year before.
Van Gieson encourages admitted students to plan a campus visit and experience all that UC Santa Barbara has to offer. "This is an exciting time for students and their families, and we look forward to assisting students who are considering UC Santa Barbara," she said. During April, campus tours and informational sessions for admitted students are offered Monday through Saturday.
Several thousand visited the UCSB campus last Saturday, April 4, during the annual Spring Insight Open House. Activities included presentations by each of the three UC Santa Barbara undergraduate colleges, as well as faculty lectures, student panels, and information sessions on financial aid, summer orientation, student activities and organizations, and other topics.
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